Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

I do not know of a single place in which drinking is legal that military members are not allowed to drink, except combat zones. Can you provide an example?

Drinking is legal in Uganda, but when we deployed there in support of Operation Support Hope (Rwanda famine relief effort) in 1994 we were forbidden to drink alcohol at any time. We were not in a combat zone and we were free to walk the streets of Kampala. We just weren't allowed to drink. One person thought they could get away with it by ordering room service (we were quartered in a hotel), but someone went through all the room order tickets and discovered the perpetrator. That person was sent home immediately.

My son was in the Navy for four years after I retired from my career in the Navy. One thing my son really struggled with is how he was not allowed to travel during his off time with his girlfriend.

They were both stationed in Pensacola and on their weekends off they wanted to travel to nearby cities to visit and sight-see. They had to request to be away from the base overnight and on weekends and every time they were disapproved and not allowed to be away overnight since they were of the opposite sex. They were required to have a liberty buddy to be away overnight and the liberty buddy could not be the opposite sex.

Those that were homosexual had no trouble being away over the weekend because their love interest was of the same sex. My son and his girlfriend were never able to travel together and stay away for the weekend while they were stationed in Pensacola. They could not even be in each others barracks rooms as the opposite sex was not allowed in the barracks. Any "personal time" was in the car parked off a dirt road somewhere near the base or a hotel off base during the day for a couple hours.

That isn't pursuing happiness "at will". Just another example of how military members are/can be restricted.

The obvious solution to this dilemma is to find another couple that also wants to travel. Then the two guys can be travel buddies and the same for the two women. Who is going to know what goes on when you're far away from the base?

I was married to a foreign national and it never even came up and it was never an issue.

He said "possible."

If the foreign national had been from certain nations, it would have "come up." Russia (still), China (still), North Korea, Syria, Iran, and such. You'd have to advise the military under any circumstances, and unless the spouse was from one of the questionable nations, they'd probably never make an issue of it.

From a CANUKAUS nation, no, it wouldn't "come up" unless you held a TOP SECRET clearance. Every marriage to a foreign national will "come up" in that case. I had a friend whose British wife had never become a US citizen after 20 years, and that became an issue for him every time his TS clearance was reviewed.

That isn't really accurate...legal recreational or medical marijuana can't be used by military members, personal travel is restricted for military members, you can't drink (even though you are "legal" to drink) in some countries, adultery is not illegal everywhere but military members are prohibited from participating, can't get certain tattoos, can't get some piercings, can't wear many hair styles, can't wear a beard, can't wear some clothing, there are lists of "off limit establishments" for military members, etc. Military members are much more restricted in their personal lives than civilians.

Considering military divorce rates and marriages - the penalty for adultery is rather obvious
As federal employee federal law applies - no pot.
Some countries so not permit consumption of alcoholic beverages by locals or guests.
I have seen my share of active military with full beards due to medical needs. Try to fit a gas mask with a beard. How many pilots or fire fighters have you seen with beards?
You can pierce all you want but no embellishments during duty. Again - how many pilots, firefighters, LEOs have you seen with piercings while on duty? Too much of a safety hazard.
What clothing cannot be worn?
Go over the dress code section in employee handbooks of just about every larger corporation.

My son was in the Navy for four years after I retired from my career in the Navy. One thing my son really struggled with is how he was not allowed to travel during his off time with his girlfriend.

They were both stationed in Pensacola and on their weekends off they wanted to travel to nearby cities to visit and sight-see. They had to request to be away from the base overnight and on weekends and every time they were disapproved and not allowed to be away overnight since they were of the opposite sex. They were required to have a liberty buddy to be away overnight and the liberty buddy could not be the opposite sex.

Those that were homosexual had no trouble being away over the weekend because their love interest was of the same sex. My son and his girlfriend were never able to travel together and stay away for the weekend while they were stationed in Pensacola. They could not even be in each others barracks rooms as the opposite sex was not allowed in the barracks. Any "personal time" was in the car parked off a dirt road somewhere near the base or a hotel off base during the day for a couple hours.

That isn't pursuing happiness "at will". Just another example of how military members are/can be restricted.

That isn't the whole story though...So as a military member can you fly to a country where marijuana isn't "against federal law" and use marijuana? Nope, you can't fly to Amsterdam and smoke pot for a week as a military member.

Army units deploying to combat zones often issue General Orders prohibiting sexual activity. I heard of a case in a neighboring unit in 2004 where a female soldier in Iraq got pregnant. The mother was returned to the U.S. and both mother and father were given field grade Article 15's, a quite severe punishment that involves major reduction of rank. The reason being that losing the pregnant soldier harmed the unit's mission.

In later years in Iraq, there were some locations on the biggest bases where married couples who were deployed together were allowed to share a tent and have sex. I'm not sure how pregnancy would have been handled in that case, but I imagine that the couples were told that pregnancy was not 'authorized.'

My son was in the Navy for four years after I retired from my career in the Navy. One thing my son really struggled with is how he was not allowed to travel during his off time with his girlfriend.

They were both stationed in Pensacola and on their weekends off they wanted to travel to nearby cities to visit and sight-see. They had to request to be away from the base overnight and on weekends and every time they were disapproved and not allowed to be away overnight since they were of the opposite sex. They were required to have a liberty buddy to be away overnight and the liberty buddy could not be the opposite sex.

Those that were homosexual had no trouble being away over the weekend because their love interest was of the same sex. My son and his girlfriend were never able to travel together and stay away for the weekend while they were stationed in Pensacola. They could not even be in each others barracks rooms as the opposite sex was not allowed in the barracks. Any "personal time" was in the car parked off a dirt road somewhere near the base or a hotel off base during the day for a couple hours.

I must say this is a lot different from my time in the Army (active duty '04-'09). While we were highly restricted during initial training (18 or 20 weeks for me), once you reached your permanent duty station they mostly treated you like an adult. Most soldiers had their own rooms in the barracks, and there were no rules about opposite sex visitors. When I was stationed in Germany, you had to get a 'mileage pass' signed if you traveled more that 150 miles from the base, but they didn't care who you traveled with.

Maybe the Navy has vastly different rules due to the traditions of ship life? Sounds terribly restrictive and a major impediment to retention.

I must say this is a lot different from my time in the Army (active duty '04-'09). While we were highly restricted during initial training (18 or 20 weeks for me), once you reached your permanent duty station they mostly treated you like an adult. Most soldiers had their own rooms in the barracks, and there were no rules about opposite sex visitors. When I was stationed in Germany, you had to get a 'mileage pass' signed if you traveled more that 150 miles from the base, but they didn't care who you traveled with.

Maybe the Navy has vastly different rules due to the traditions of ship life? Sounds terribly restrictive and a major impediment to retention.

Same for Air Force. You could have opposite sex overnight guests in your dorm room since they are private and it didn't affect anyone else. No one cared. No mileage restrictions on travel at all, but they did want you to leave an itinerary about where you were going.

I must say this is a lot different from my time in the Army (active duty '04-'09). While we were highly restricted during initial training (18 or 20 weeks for me), once you reached your permanent duty station they mostly treated you like an adult. Most soldiers had their own rooms in the barracks, and there were no rules about opposite sex visitors. When I was stationed in Germany, you had to get a 'mileage pass' signed if you traveled more that 150 miles from the base, but they didn't care who you traveled with.

Maybe the Navy has vastly different rules due to the traditions of ship life? Sounds terribly restrictive and a major impediment to retention.

I'm Air Force, but I spent most of the 90s in joint units working for Naval field and flag rank officers, with sailors and petty officers working for me.

For sure, the Navy has many such policies that are far, far, far, far, far different from other services, and yes, it is a matter of ship life. They are even very different from the Marine Corps.

Not that they are wrong...just that life that is intended to be mostly at sea is very different from "normal" life and requires very different policies.

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.